U.S. Routs Grenada in Gold Cup Opener

Davies Scores in Easy 4-0 Win

July 5, 2009

SEATTLE -- The U.S. men’s national team continued its dominance in opening matches of the CONCACAF Gold Cup this evening with a 4-0 victory against Grenada at Qwest Field in Seattle.

Robbie Rogers, who was named Man of the Match for his excellent play at left midfield, assisted on the first two goals by Freddy Adu and Stuart Holden. In the second half, Rogers buried his own goal to cap off his second appearance for the national team, while Boston College product Charlie Davies also tallied to give the U.S. its highest scoring output in the calendar year.

With two goals in each half, the U.S. has now won all 10 of their Gold Cup opening matches, six of which have been shutouts. Overall, the U.S. improves to 22-0-1 lifetime in group play in the Gold Cup.

“It’s important to start the Gold Cup the right way,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley, who improved his record in Gold Cup play to 7-0. “There were a lot of good things – a good team effort and four different guys scoring goals. All those things are important as we start the tournament.”

The U.S., which only played on July 4 once before when they fell 1-0 to Brazil at the Rose Bowl during the World Cup 15 years ago, was coming off an impressive performance at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, but entered the opening match of the Gold Cup with a fairly inexperienced lineup. Steve Cherundolo, who was playing his first match since October of last year due to injury, had the most caps by far of any player in the starting lineup, earning his 52nd at right back and was chosen by Bradley to wear the captain’s armband for the first time.

Three players earned their first cap on the night, including Holden, Logan Pause and Brad Evans, who came on as a substitute to make his debut on the home field for his club team, the Seattle Sounders. Overall, seven players in the lineup had a combined 11 caps before stepping foot on Qwest Field.

In the seventh minute, the USA’s overwhelming pressure took its toll when Rogers stole the ball from Ricky Charles near the left sideline and quickly darted up the field towards goal. Dribbling along the edge of the penalty area, he deftly rounded defender Marc Marshall and slotted a perfect ball across the box for the trailing Adu who hit a one-timer that goalkeeper Desmond Noel got a hand to, but couldn’t keep out of the net. The goal was Adu’s second for the full national team.

In the 31st minute, the hosts took a two-goal lead. The play started when Holden played a ball across the goalmouth that eluded Davies, but Rogers hustled to keep it in and returned the favor for Holden. Rogers served the ball towards the back post where Holden took the initiative and darted in front of a flat-footed Anthony Modeste from six yards out and headed a ball down and off the underside of the crossbar. With the goal, Holden is the 45th player in U.S. history to score in his first appearance.

The second half was much of the same with the U.S. continuing to press forward and get numerous looks on goal. Rogers finally got one of his own on the hour mark, after a well-timed Pause through ball sliced open the Grenada defense and sent Rogers off to the races. In alone on Noel, Rogers calmly tucked the ball just inside the left post.

“We had a great team effort tonight,” said Rogers. “The chemistry was really good, and we were able to create a lot of chances. For us, it is a fantastic way to start the Gold Cup, and at the same time we know it is only the beginning."

Eight minutes later, the U.S. tallied their final goal on the night. From his center back position, Chad Marshall hit a long ball over the top to Pearce, who was streaking down the left flank. Perfectly in stride, the defender deftly touched a first-timed pass to his right, directly into the path of the unmarked Davies. The striker took one touch before slipping the ball low past Noel for his third goal in 10 career appearances.

The U.S. will travel to Washington, D.C., Sunday in preparation for its second group match Wednesday against Honduras at RFK Stadium. The match kicks off at 9 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel and TeleFutura.